Ben Greenman, an editor at The New Yorker, combines the loneliness and intimacy of men and women in unusual configurations in this short story collection. Greenman tells a story of a woman who marries a jealous farmer who punches her when he believes she’s having an affair with an artist. But, of course, there’s more to the story. There’s also a story of a brother and sister who live in a lunar colony whose father abandons them and returns to Earth. And the businessman who sleeps with women while he’s on the road. He sends his wife postcards after each infidelity. Greenman’s stories are quirky and edgy. This edition includes an interview with Greenman where he discusses his work. Greenman adds a reading list of his favorite books, too. And, I love the cover! GRADE: B
(This completes the July 2010 portion of my Short Story Reading Challenge. I will read and review one short story collection per month in 2010. To find out more about the Short Story Reading Challenge, be sure to click: “http://theshortstorychallenge.blogspot.com/”>Short Story Reading Challenge.
I’m always looking for new collections of stories, so will check this one out – as soon as I finish the collections I’m reading by Isaac Babel and Connie Willis.
Ben Greenman isn’t Babel or Willis, but an unconventional writer, Jeff. Some of the stories in WHAT HE’S POISED TO DO worked for me, some didn’t. I didn’t care for the stories written in the Second Person.
Second person stories rarely work, do they? Exception is A PRAYER FOR THE DYING, Stewart O’Nan. He is able to make you part of his journey. I will look for his despite the hit and miss aspect. A really good collection is THE SUMMER BEFORE THE SUMMER OF LOVE, Marly Swick. And also the stories on Antonya Nelson. One of my favorite short story writers though is Andre Dubus, who died a few years back. He was a master.
I agree with you on Andre Dubus, Patti. The man was a genius.
Yes, Dubus was great. I’ve read all his stories.
I ordered the Swick book from the library.
By the way, if you haven’t read the Babel you should.
I’ve read Babel, Jeff. But, I’d have to be in the mood to read more.
I’ll have to see if I can find that Swick collection. This one doesn’t sound at all appealing to me, but that’s a matter of taste, I imagine (what isn’t?).
The cover turns you on, George, it turns me off. Again, a matter of taste.
I have just started reading the book, and I really like it. I especially like the way it balances humor and serious issues. Which stories are in second person? You mean saying “you” instead of “he,” like in Bright Lights, Big City?
“To Kill the Pink” is told in the second person, Jared. And “The Hunter and the Hunted” uses the letter approach which is basically second person.
Oh, I’m not up to those yet. I don’t know Babel’s work very well.
The Babel stories I’ve read, Jared, were pretty grim. I have to be in a certain mood for short stories like that.